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by: Chris Maynard
([email protected])
([email protected])
I have watched and reviewed Chicago's three game sweep in the first round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs.
Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game:
Here are the total stats for the series and my recaps for each game:
5 Quick Observations/Revelations from Game 3
1. Whenever people doubt Scottie Pippen's greatness, have them watch this game. Pippen was incredible from start to finish, serving as the ultimate connector on offense and defense, with a triple double of 22 points, 18 rebounds (8 on the offensive glass) and 10 assists. He was everywhere on the court. At one point early in the third quarter, Pippen had 15 rebounds while the entire Heat team had 16!
2. Chicago's Triangle Offense was a thing of beauty on this night, with no wasted dribbles, superior ball movement and open shots sustained by crisp, off-ball cutting. The Bulls shot 50% for the game (40-for-80 from the field), though that percentage would have been much higher if not for some missed shots during the fourth quarter, which was pretty much garbage time. What is amazing about the Triangle was that even when Chicago had its subs in the fourth quarter, the Bulls were still getting open shots. What a beautiful offense.
3. If Michael Jordan had not tweaked his back near the end of the second quarter of Game Two, he would have gone off for 40 in either of the last two games. Still, Jordan and 29 and 26 points, respectively, in the last two games, which were pretty much not competitive in the second halves. The Bulls did not need Jordan to put his foot down late in any of these games. Still, when Jordan applied himself, he scored at will. Poor Rex Chapman and Tony Smith had no chance guarding Jordan.
4. There's a reason why Chicago never lost a first-round game during six championship seasons in the nineties, going 18-0 during that time. The Bulls meant business and never played around with inferior opponents. When it was time to put a team away, the Bulls did that. They never coasted or rested on their laurels. They understood the value of ending series early and getting rest. That was seen in Game Three against Miami as the Bulls were laser focused and clicking on both ends despite the Heat getting off to a decent start.
5. I absolutely loved the old Miami Heat court. It was so cool looking, especially the jump ball circle with the barely distinguishable center circle. The court was so simple yet it popped out much better than these awful courts of today (see the fiascos of the NBA Cup).
1. Whenever people doubt Scottie Pippen's greatness, have them watch this game. Pippen was incredible from start to finish, serving as the ultimate connector on offense and defense, with a triple double of 22 points, 18 rebounds (8 on the offensive glass) and 10 assists. He was everywhere on the court. At one point early in the third quarter, Pippen had 15 rebounds while the entire Heat team had 16!
2. Chicago's Triangle Offense was a thing of beauty on this night, with no wasted dribbles, superior ball movement and open shots sustained by crisp, off-ball cutting. The Bulls shot 50% for the game (40-for-80 from the field), though that percentage would have been much higher if not for some missed shots during the fourth quarter, which was pretty much garbage time. What is amazing about the Triangle was that even when Chicago had its subs in the fourth quarter, the Bulls were still getting open shots. What a beautiful offense.
3. If Michael Jordan had not tweaked his back near the end of the second quarter of Game Two, he would have gone off for 40 in either of the last two games. Still, Jordan and 29 and 26 points, respectively, in the last two games, which were pretty much not competitive in the second halves. The Bulls did not need Jordan to put his foot down late in any of these games. Still, when Jordan applied himself, he scored at will. Poor Rex Chapman and Tony Smith had no chance guarding Jordan.
4. There's a reason why Chicago never lost a first-round game during six championship seasons in the nineties, going 18-0 during that time. The Bulls meant business and never played around with inferior opponents. When it was time to put a team away, the Bulls did that. They never coasted or rested on their laurels. They understood the value of ending series early and getting rest. That was seen in Game Three against Miami as the Bulls were laser focused and clicking on both ends despite the Heat getting off to a decent start.
5. I absolutely loved the old Miami Heat court. It was so cool looking, especially the jump ball circle with the barely distinguishable center circle. The court was so simple yet it popped out much better than these awful courts of today (see the fiascos of the NBA Cup).
Make the jump for my breakdown of the series, including:
- Three-word descriptions for each team in each game.
- The most memorable play from each game.
- Individual grades for the key players in the series.
- Implications for the future.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game 1 for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Gritty, not pretty.
- Miami Heat - Lack of composure.
The Bulls turned a tied game at the break with its defense coming first while Miami had three ejections in the fourth quarter.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game 2 for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Sending a message.
- Miami Heat - Never showed up.
From the get-go in Game Two, the Bulls came out to kill a Miami team that showed no resistance after trying to play the role of tough guys in the first game.
Three-Word Descriptions of Game 3 for the...
- Chicago Bulls - Men amongst boys.
- Miami Heat - Not even close.
Chicago did whatever it wanted to a Heat team that came out with a better effort for a few minutes but did not belong on the court with this Bulls' team.
The Most Memorable Play from Game 1 was...
- Scottie Pippen's baseline dunk on Chris Gatling. See 6:08.
The Most Memorable Play from Game 2 was...
- Scottie Pippen's fake behind-the-back pass and layup off a steal. See 3:18.
The Most Memorable Play from Game 3 was...
- Michael Jordan hitting a no-look, back-to-the-basket layup off a nice feed from Dennis Rodman. See 4:29.
Individual Player Grades for the Bulls
Point Guard Ron Harper: A-
Harper swung this series when he picked up Tim Hardaway in the third quarter of Game One. Harper was very efficient on offense, hitting 13 of 19 field goals in the series (nearly 70%) and a dog on defense, making things very tough on Hardaway, who was not the same player after going off for 26 points in the first half of the first game.
Shooting Guard Michael Jordan: A
Jordan averaged 30.0 points with the only thing stopping him from getting an A+ being his bad back.
Small Forward Scottie Pippen: A
Pippen stuffed the stat sheet in three games, nearly averaging a triple double at 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. He also averaged 3 steals per game.
Power Forward Toni Kukoc: A-
Miami had no one who could guard Kukoc, who scored in bursts and averaged 14 points per game while starting all three games in the series. Imagine if Kukoc would have hit the many open threes he had. Kukoc was just 1-for-16 from three in the series, which did not matter or take away from his overall impact.
Center Luc Longley: B
With the exception of picking up three cheap fouls in the first half of Game Two, Longley did a great job playing physical defense on the frustrated Mourning and kept the Heat center honest with his own aggressiveness in limited opportunities on offense.
Bench: B
Steve Kerr averaged 9.3 points per game, with most of his shots coming in garbage time. Dennis Rodman averaged only 6 rebounds per game and 19.7 minutes during the series, but had his moments to frustrate Mourning and the rest of the Heat. John Salley actually gave some nice minutes playing physical defense. The bench played a lot in Games 2 and 3 with the fourth quarters being blowouts and players like Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington and James Edwards all having nice moments.
Head Coach Phil Jackson: A
Jackson recognized Kukoc's value as a matchup problem for the Heat and started the 6'11'' power forward in place of Rodman. Jackson also did a good job of easing Rodman into games and conveying the message that Chicago needed The Worm to be focused. If my memory serves right, Jackson would start Rodman against the more physical New York Knicks in the second round.
Harper swung this series when he picked up Tim Hardaway in the third quarter of Game One. Harper was very efficient on offense, hitting 13 of 19 field goals in the series (nearly 70%) and a dog on defense, making things very tough on Hardaway, who was not the same player after going off for 26 points in the first half of the first game.
Shooting Guard Michael Jordan: A
Jordan averaged 30.0 points with the only thing stopping him from getting an A+ being his bad back.
Small Forward Scottie Pippen: A
Pippen stuffed the stat sheet in three games, nearly averaging a triple double at 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. He also averaged 3 steals per game.
Power Forward Toni Kukoc: A-
Miami had no one who could guard Kukoc, who scored in bursts and averaged 14 points per game while starting all three games in the series. Imagine if Kukoc would have hit the many open threes he had. Kukoc was just 1-for-16 from three in the series, which did not matter or take away from his overall impact.
Center Luc Longley: B
With the exception of picking up three cheap fouls in the first half of Game Two, Longley did a great job playing physical defense on the frustrated Mourning and kept the Heat center honest with his own aggressiveness in limited opportunities on offense.
Bench: B
Steve Kerr averaged 9.3 points per game, with most of his shots coming in garbage time. Dennis Rodman averaged only 6 rebounds per game and 19.7 minutes during the series, but had his moments to frustrate Mourning and the rest of the Heat. John Salley actually gave some nice minutes playing physical defense. The bench played a lot in Games 2 and 3 with the fourth quarters being blowouts and players like Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington and James Edwards all having nice moments.
Head Coach Phil Jackson: A
Jackson recognized Kukoc's value as a matchup problem for the Heat and started the 6'11'' power forward in place of Rodman. Jackson also did a good job of easing Rodman into games and conveying the message that Chicago needed The Worm to be focused. If my memory serves right, Jackson would start Rodman against the more physical New York Knicks in the second round.
Individual Player Grades for the Heat
Point Guard Tim Hardaway: C-
Hardaway had 26 points in the first half of Game One and just 27 points the rest of the series. He was not aggressive enough in Games Two and Three, in large part due to the length of Harper.
Shooting Guard Rex Chapman: C
Chapman averaged 9.0 points per game and a few nice offensive bursts. However, any time Chapman scored, Jordan seemed to make it personal, scoring right back. Chapman had no chance guarding Jordan.
Small Forward Walt Williams: D-
After scoring 12 points in Game One, "The Wizard" had two points the rest of the series, including a goose egg in Game Two.
Power Forward Kurt Thomas: D
Thomas scored 12 points in three games. After having a decent Game One, he was very passive in Game Two. In the last game, he had five fouls early in the third quarter. While Thomas brought a physical presence, he wasn't ready for the mental aspect of the playoffs yet as a rookie.
Center Alonzo Mourning: D+
Mourning was seemingly on the brink of losing his mind the entire series as the Bulls got in his head early and often. While he scored 30 points in Game Three, the Heat were not competitive. Overall, Mourning was a disaster in the first two games in Chicago.
Bench: C
Miami did not have any answers off the bench, with Chris Gatling really struggling the final two games after getting ejected in the fourth quarter of Game One. Tony Smith scored a bit for the Heat but was no match guarding Jordan. That's not a slight on Smith. Jordan was just that dominant. Sasha Danilovic took a lot of shots, putting it gently.
Head Coach Pat Riley: C
There's not much Pat Riley could do this series. His team was simply outclassed. Riley tried to have his team impose a physical style in the first game, but the Bulls weren't buying into it. By halftime of Game Two, Riley looked defeated as his team showed no resistance. Riley called plenty of timeouts this series to stop Bulls' runs that just kept coming in the last two games. The Heat were a flawed team that made the playoffs despite starting the season 13-26 based on Riley making trades throughout the season.
Hardaway had 26 points in the first half of Game One and just 27 points the rest of the series. He was not aggressive enough in Games Two and Three, in large part due to the length of Harper.
Shooting Guard Rex Chapman: C
Chapman averaged 9.0 points per game and a few nice offensive bursts. However, any time Chapman scored, Jordan seemed to make it personal, scoring right back. Chapman had no chance guarding Jordan.
Small Forward Walt Williams: D-
After scoring 12 points in Game One, "The Wizard" had two points the rest of the series, including a goose egg in Game Two.
Power Forward Kurt Thomas: D
Thomas scored 12 points in three games. After having a decent Game One, he was very passive in Game Two. In the last game, he had five fouls early in the third quarter. While Thomas brought a physical presence, he wasn't ready for the mental aspect of the playoffs yet as a rookie.
Center Alonzo Mourning: D+
Mourning was seemingly on the brink of losing his mind the entire series as the Bulls got in his head early and often. While he scored 30 points in Game Three, the Heat were not competitive. Overall, Mourning was a disaster in the first two games in Chicago.
Bench: C
Miami did not have any answers off the bench, with Chris Gatling really struggling the final two games after getting ejected in the fourth quarter of Game One. Tony Smith scored a bit for the Heat but was no match guarding Jordan. That's not a slight on Smith. Jordan was just that dominant. Sasha Danilovic took a lot of shots, putting it gently.
Head Coach Pat Riley: C
There's not much Pat Riley could do this series. His team was simply outclassed. Riley tried to have his team impose a physical style in the first game, but the Bulls weren't buying into it. By halftime of Game Two, Riley looked defeated as his team showed no resistance. Riley called plenty of timeouts this series to stop Bulls' runs that just kept coming in the last two games. The Heat were a flawed team that made the playoffs despite starting the season 13-26 based on Riley making trades throughout the season.
Implications for Both Teams
For Chicago, the Bulls got some much needed rest, with three days in between the end of this series against the Heat and the start of the second round against the New York Knicks.
For Miami, Pat Riley realized his team was very far away. With nine free agents on this team, Riley would resign Mourning and Hardaway but revamp the rest of his starting five and roster. The Heat would sign P.J. Brown from the Nets to play power forward and Dan Majerle from the Cavs to play shooting guard. Riley would eventually elevate Voshon Leonard, who was inactive in the 1996 series against the Bulls, to the starting shooting guard spot. The Heat would trade for Jamal Mashburn near the trade-deadline, sending away Kurt Thomas and Danilovic as part of the package. The Heat would actually reach the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, where it lost to the Bulls in five games. Jordan's Bulls continued to be a thorn in Riley's side.
For Miami, Pat Riley realized his team was very far away. With nine free agents on this team, Riley would resign Mourning and Hardaway but revamp the rest of his starting five and roster. The Heat would sign P.J. Brown from the Nets to play power forward and Dan Majerle from the Cavs to play shooting guard. Riley would eventually elevate Voshon Leonard, who was inactive in the 1996 series against the Bulls, to the starting shooting guard spot. The Heat would trade for Jamal Mashburn near the trade-deadline, sending away Kurt Thomas and Danilovic as part of the package. The Heat would actually reach the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, where it lost to the Bulls in five games. Jordan's Bulls continued to be a thorn in Riley's side.
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